SPECIAL NOTICE
R -- Planning Meeting for a Panel to Develop Principles and Practices for Federal Evaluation
- Notice Date
- 3/27/2015
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Health and Human Services, Program Support Center, Division of Acquisition Management, 12501 Ardennes Avenue, Suite 400, Rockville, Maryland, 20857, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20857
- Solicitation Number
- 15-233-SOL-00183
- Archive Date
- 4/25/2015
- Point of Contact
- Peter D. Preston, Phone: 3014435100
- E-Mail Address
-
Peter.Preston@psc.hhs.gov
(Peter.Preston@psc.hhs.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Notice of Intent: The Department of Health and Human Service (DHHS), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation (OPRE), have requested this requirement to support the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) within the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies of Science (NAS) in convening a one-day planning meeting to explore the potential of a small consensus study to develop high-level guidelines for federal evaluation. The National Academy of Sciences was born in the travail of the Civil War. The Act of Incorporation signed by President Lincoln on March 3, 1863, established service to the nation as its dominant purpose. In 1916 the Academy established the National Research Council at the request of President Wilson to recruit specialists from the larger scientific and technological communities to participate in that work. Recognizing the value of scientific advice to the nation in times of peace as well as war, Wilson issued an executive order at the close of World War I asking the Academy of perpetuate the National Research Council. Subsequent executive orders, by President Eisenhower in 1956 and President Bush in 1993, have affirmed the importance of the National Research Council and further broadened its charter. In accordance with FAR 6.302-1 (b) (1) (i), competition is being restricted because the services required are available only from the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) within the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies of Science (NAS). CNSTAT has unique knowledge of and experience with statistical programs and uses of information for public policy on a wide range of subject matter including evaluation concepts, methods, and techniques. Building on the pre-existing work-such as Principle and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency-will enable CNSTAT to produce deliverables needed in a very time- and cost-saving manner under the guidance of a unique national body of experts. Award of any other source would result in unacceptable delays in fulfilling the necessary requirements. Background: Recently, federal evaluation offices have issued statements of evaluation policies-ACF Evaluation Policy (2012); and U.S. Department of Labor Evaluation Policy (2013)-covering key topics such as scope of the policy, rigor, relevance, independence, transparency, and ethics. Likewise, the statutory independence of IES has enabled it to carry out credible, rigorous evaluations without political interference. Federal evaluators believe that additional guidelines could help to ensure that Federal program evaluations meet scientific standards, are designed to be useful, and are conducted and results disseminated without bias or undue influence. One potential element of such guidance for federal evaluation would be a volume modeled after the CNSTAT, Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency, currently in its 5th edition (National Research Council of the National Academies, 2013) and updated every 4 years at the beginning of a new administration or second term. Heads of several federal evaluation offices are interested in CNSTAT convening a planning meeting to develop a prospectus for a small consensus study that would develop a high-level set of guidelines that would help evaluation offices maintain standards for their programs across administrations and changes in political-level personnel. These include the heads of evaluation offices and agencies in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) and Administration for Children and Families (ACF); and the U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Office of the Chief Evaluation Officer (CEO). Description: The purpose of the contract is to support the Committee on National Statistics (CNSTAT) within the National Research Council (NRC) of the National Academies of Science (NAS) in convening a one-day planning meeting to explore the potential of a small consensus study to develop high-level guidelines for federal evaluation. Together with the informal federal evaluation working group, CNSTAT will consider such meeting topics as the types of guidance relevant agencies are looking for; the range of subject matter to include in a "Principles and Practices" for federal evaluations; and the timing and scope of a panel study. Agenda topics for the meeting will likely include: • A focus on high-level guidelines for "Principles and Practices for Federal Evaluation," similar to the level of Principles and Practices for a Statistical Agency. The focus will not include particular evaluation designs or methods. • Potential subject headings for a document of "Principles and Practices for Federal Evaluation" and whether and how it makes sense to distinguish between principles and practices; • Scope and audience for a guidance document. For example, discussion on whether a document of "Principles and Practices for Federal Evaluation" should be addressed to federal evaluations in the behavioral and social sciences and education, or expanded to include other areas, such as defense testing, environmental protection testing, transportation program evaluation, etc.; • Differentiating "evaluation" from policy analysis and research and determining where performance measurement fits in; • Scope and timing of a consensus study to develop a "Principles and Practices for Federal Evaluation" should the planning meeting conclude that such is warranted. Attendees for the planning meeting will include CNSTAT staff, members of working groups on federal evaluation, and five (5) to six (6) additional people whom the working group members identify to invite. CNSTAT staff will pull together background materials for the meeting, including the above-referenced evaluation guidance documents, background on why and how Principles and Practices for a Federal Statistical Agency came to be developed and how it has evolved over time, and other relevant material on evaluation principles and practices. Assuming the discussion supports going forward, the output from the planning meeting will be a draft prospectus for a consensus study to be separately approved by the National Academies and potential sponsor agencies. Contractors possessing equal capabilities of NRC are encouraged to respond in writing no later than April 10th, 2015. All responses shall provide at a minimum: 1. Cover Letter/Capabilities Statement illustrating organizations' technical capabilities, business size, and expertise, as it relates to the requirements presented in this notice. 2. List of at least 3-5 Past Performance references to include: a. Description of previous work efforts b. Contract number c. Point of contact Period of Performance: May 11th, 2015 - May 10th, 2016
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- Record
- SN03681206-W 20150329/150327234556-f9897e7c7d9181f2bf2e4fb64a8d37d5 (fbodaily.com)
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